TWO Demands ‘Ex-Gay’ Group Apologize For Defamatory Remarks Within Five Days Or Face Legal Action

TWO Demands ‘Ex-Gay’ Group Apologize For Defamatory Remarks Within Five Days Or Face Legal Action

PFOX President Greg Quinlan’s Fabricated Tale Claiming TWO Tried to Have Him Murdered is Unconscionable and Unacceptable, Says TWO

Burlington, Vt. – Truth Wins Out sent a letter to Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays today sternly warning PFOX that it would face legal consequences if it did not publicly apologize within five days for defaming TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen. The letter from Virginia attorney Michael Hamar outlined four concrete demands that PFOX would have to satisfy to avoid having the matter settled in a court of law.

On October 7, 2011 Quinlan was interviewed on News-Plus with Mark Segraves (WDCW-TV). At the 10:38 mark of the show, Quinlan (pictured) fabricates an alleged hit on his life. According to Quinlan:

“Truth Wins Out if you look further, including Wayne Besen. He’s asked for people, you know, somebody needs to run Greg over. He needs to be hit with a bus. Somebody should inject him with AIDS. Those are the things that Wayne Besen and Truth Wins Out says about me. That’s pretty hateful rhetoric.”

“Greg Quinlan deliberately and maliciously fabricated a story with the sole purpose of smearing Truth Wins Out and damaging my reputation,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “These defamatory actions are unconscionable, unacceptable, and I refuse to let these vicious lies go unanswered.”

Hamar sent his letter to PFOX outlining the necessary steps to ameliorate the situation:

1. A written retraction be issued by Gregory Quinlan on PFOX letterhead admitting he fabricated the incident(s) and made untrue statements during the television interview. The retraction must be signed by PFOX’s Executive Director Regina Griggs and Mr. Quinlan.

2. A YouTube video of Mr. Quinlan apologizing for the false and defamatory statements.

3. Mr. Quinlan will offer to immediately make an apology on the very television show in which the defamatory statements about Mr. Besen were made.

4. PFOX will send out a press release, first approved by Mr. Besen, announcing the apology.

“These terms must be accepted within five business days of receipt of this letter,” wrote TWO attorney Michael Hamar. “Should Mr. Quinlan and PFOX refuse to accept these terms, Mr. Besen will have no alternative other than to seek relief in court and in the process of the litigation subject Mr. Quinlan and/or PFOX to depositions, interrogatories and other discovery processes.”

The veracity of PFOX has long been questioned. Its former president, Richard Cohen, was expelled for life from the American Counseling Association for multiple ethics violations. A key member of the organization’s Speaker’s Bureau, Arthur Abba Goldberg, is a convicted felon sent to prison for financial fraud. In 2010, Quinlan attended a conference organized by Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, a group that is listed as a certified Southern Poverty Law Center hate group. During his speech at the meeting, Quinlan disparaged LGBT people and said that when he used to live as an openly gay man he wasn’t a “flaming faggot.”

“I wasn’t your flaming faggot, you know,” Quinlan told the chuckling crowd. “I can say that because I’ve been there and done that. You know, the one’s whose wrists are so limp that when the wind blows they slap themselves in the face. I wasn’t one of them.”

HELP TWO FIGHT BACK

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to Truth Wins Out today to help us fight this critical legal battle with PFOX. If we don’t stand up to such blatant lies, we are giving our opponents a green light to smear the entire LGBT community.

It is critical that we finally push back and say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” If we won’t fight back when they accuse us of attempted murder — when will we? The time to take a stand against these dishonest bullies is NOW!

About the Author

Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Thanks John — we can’t let these liars get away with saying whatever they want and posing as beacons of morality.

I’m done with allowing them to go on smear campaigns.

MichaelDecember 7, 2011 at 9:09 pm -

Sounds like its a win-win. You get to cram their lies back down their throats and they get to play their martyr game.

Wayne BesenDecember 7, 2011 at 9:31 pm -

A person can only be a martyr if they can claim they are wrong. So this is a Win-Lose. I win, they lose.

Wayne BesenDecember 7, 2011 at 9:31 pm -

I meant “wronged”

justmeDecember 8, 2011 at 3:34 am -

You do excellent work and this is an excellent move, but I’ve always wondered — why does anybody call the “Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays” PFOX when their initials actually spell PFOE, and calling them that has the added benefit of being accurate on more than one level?

Gary (NJ)December 8, 2011 at 10:34 am -

@ justme — they probably wanted to throw a bone to fox ‘news’, which supports their right wing ‘agenda’.

Very, very well done. Extra gold star to you and Mr. Hamar for making sure that the apology comes not just from Quinlan personally, but from PFOX. The only thing that I would have included in the terms is a requirement that the letter and the video be posted on PFOX’s website for a specified period of time. You have a right to see that the retraction and apology are disseminated as widely as possible, so as to undo the damage that the defamatory statement caused. Prominent placement on the PFOX website would help accomplish this. It also wouldn’t hurt that all new visitors to PFOX would begin their website tour by learning that PFOX lies.

Last point: If you don’t hear back, you must proceed with the suit. You cannot issue an ultimatum and then fail to follow through or you will lose all credibility. Here’s hoping that Quinlan bites the pillow and accepts your terms.

MykelbDecember 25, 2011 at 10:47 pm -

Hey Wayne, where is the followup article? Did they issued the apology? Is there a lawsuit?

Wayne BesenDecember 26, 2011 at 9:49 am -

Mykelb:

Thank you for asking. Legal matters take time. We are in the process of suing PFOX. When the lawsuit is officially filed we will announce it. This is not a matter of “if” but “when.” I’d prefer not to elaborate at this time.

Get to Know Us

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights the "ex-gay" myth and antigay religious extremism.

TWO monitors anti-LGBT organizations, documents their lies and exposes wrongdoing. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for truth, integrity, and equality for sexual minorities.